Delta: a tribute to rice cuisine in Barcelona’s Born district, with interior design by Olga Pajares

On Espartería Street, in the very heart of Barcelona’s Born district, Delta opens its doors as an informal arrocería that reclaims the Mediterranean culture of rice with a contemporary and honest perspective. The project bears the signature of interior designer Olga Pajares, chosen by Dani Rueda and Natalia Ferran—the family behind Tapeo—to shape a venue that breathes tradition, naturalness and modernity in perfect balance.

Architecture takes the lead

From the beginning, the architecture of the space guided the project: the groin vaults interlacing with the arches offered such a powerful character that they had to become the true backdrop for everything new. “The architecture of the space moved us from the very first day,” explains Olga Pajares, who conceived an interior that engages in dialogue with this heritage without overshadowing it, respecting every pillar and structure. Even the oak volume housing the back office and restrooms opens discreetly to allow the verticality of the pillar and suspended installations to pass through, a gesture that turns architecture into the protagonist.

Honesty and transparency

Dani Rueda’s gastronomic proposal is rooted in absolute respect for the product, with honesty and transparency. These values extend to the space with the open kitchen, blurring the boundaries between diners and cooks, offering a shared experience. The restaurant’s very name, Delta, refers to the Terres de l’Ebre, a fertile region where rice is culture, landscape and life. The venue had to pay tribute to this essence: naturalness and tradition transformed into space.

Materiality is the guiding thread of the project. Lime mortar and paint, oak wood and bush-hammered natural stone define a warm and luminous palette where every texture speaks of honesty. The continuous terrazzo flooring with white aggregate subtly evokes the rice grain, integrating the gastronomic identity into the very ground of the restaurant.

An installation with soul

At the entrance, Olga Pajares designed a space that develops the arrocería’s identity, with suspended lamps whose shades recall rice paper, and a ceramic mural by artist Carme Balada. Inspired by the pods that protect the grain, Balada worked with different clays evoking the diversity of rice, endowing the wall with textures and reliefs that convey naturalness and emotion. A soulful piece that transforms the threshold of the restaurant into a poetic statement.

Furniture and lighting

The furniture combines custom design with carefully selected pieces. Group and individual solid oak tables integrate into a continuous bench that allows multiple configurations, faithful to the idea of flexibility. Alongside them, Ramón chairs designed by Ramón Bigas for Santa & Cole coexist with Betty chairs by Thau & Kallio for &Tradition; while at the bush-hammered stone bar, the popular Hari stools by estudi{H}ac for Ondarreta, upholstered in black leather, add character and contrast.

Lighting, designed in collaboration with Panaled, becomes one of the project’s cornerstones: warm, directed over each table, capable of creating an intimate atmosphere without diminishing the spaciousness of the dining room. The TMM wall lamps by Santa & Cole accompany Muuto’s round tables, bringing balance between contemporary design and timelessness.

Details that add up

Even the restrooms follow the same material line, with serene tones that transmit calm. In the dining room, the large exhaust duct located at the center was solved with ingenuity: a mirror covers the hood, reflecting the vaults, multiplying the architecture and returning to the diner the emotion of the place.

Project: Delta Arrocería informal.
Location: Calle Espartería 10, Barcelona.
Interior design: Olga Pajares interiors. @olgapajares
Creative direction and project lead: Olga Pajares.
Collaborators: Martí Crisol.
Area: 135 m2.
Client: Tapeo. Dani Rueda y Natalia Ferrán.
Lighting: Panaled.@panaled_lighting
Furniture: &tradition, Santa & Cole, Ondarreta, Muuto, Motarasu.
Art installation: Carme Balada. @carmebalada
Completed: Marzo 2025.
Photography: Meritxell Arjalaguer.

Olga Pajares

Olga Pajares is an interior designer based in Barcelona, whose sensibility captures the texture of everyday life with grace and depth. From her vantage point in the Catalan capital, she has woven a personal poetics of space, where every material becomes a verse that narrates comfort, authenticity, and modernity. Her academic foundation was built in interior design at Eina, Barcelona’s innovative school of design and art.

After working for ten years alongside Sandra Tarruella, in 2020 she founded her own practice, Olga Pajares Interiors, from where she unfolds her vision: spaces that are not only inhabited but also enter into dialogue with those who live in them. Her design approach is a declaration of commitment to thoughtful, sensitive design—capable of transforming daily life into a meaningful aesthetic experience. She has carried out projects for clients such as W Hotel, the Roca brothers, Hotel Princess, and Ohla Hotels, among others.

Source: Rocío García.

Project by Olga Pajares